burlmart
Mar 08, 2015Explorer
help w/ coach battery USE/STORE toggle acting up
after leaving shore power on for 18 hours to run a small space heater and charge batteries overnite a couple nites back (lightish freeze to 26 deg), i unplugged shore and disconnected the coach batt using the use/store toggle like i do often.
today i went to exercise genset, so i toggle the disconnect switch to USE, primed the genset to 15 clicks, toggle genset switch in at top to start, and after turning a few times, it stopped, and there was no more DC power to coach. this has never happened.
so then i plugged in to shore power and toggle to USE, and as normal, toggle light goes from pale to dark red. again had coach juice and genset primed some more clicks. then i unplug shore and genset turns over once and stops, and again, no DC power. i notice toggle red lite is now stuck on pale red no matter how you toggle it - this is the color it has when shore power is on but you do not want to charge batteries and you toggle off to STORE. lite is normally blank if no shore power and toggled to STORE.
so next i crank up engine, toggle to USE turn over genset and it starts up fine. after engine is warm turn it off and run genset with some loads for a while. i see w/ voltmeter that coach batt is not charging (12.66V), but chassis is (over 14V). with the BiRD relay on this rig, both batts always charge whenever there is shore or genny AC on.
shut off genset and plug in shore with USE toggled and again, only chassis batt is charging (over 13V). at rest, both batts are 12.66V coach and 12.74V chassis. with disconnect switch still toggled to USE with dark red lite, when i turn on 3 hallway lights and within 5 secs we hear the disconnect solenoid thump off and no more lights and toggle lite is now stuck at pale red.
repear previous step but turn on half as many hallway lites, and it takes a good three times longer before once more, thump goes the disconnect solenoid.
is this typical of bad solenoid, or might i have a blown fuse from the 18 hours of running heater and battery charging from a 50' extension cord 15 amp shore line? (i have done this many times before w/ no issues.)
two solenoids, some two prong fuses, and maybe the BiRD relay are in a box under the rig by the coach batt.
i can never know if i give TMI to diagnose or what, but i need electrical savvy help here, for sure.
today i went to exercise genset, so i toggle the disconnect switch to USE, primed the genset to 15 clicks, toggle genset switch in at top to start, and after turning a few times, it stopped, and there was no more DC power to coach. this has never happened.
so then i plugged in to shore power and toggle to USE, and as normal, toggle light goes from pale to dark red. again had coach juice and genset primed some more clicks. then i unplug shore and genset turns over once and stops, and again, no DC power. i notice toggle red lite is now stuck on pale red no matter how you toggle it - this is the color it has when shore power is on but you do not want to charge batteries and you toggle off to STORE. lite is normally blank if no shore power and toggled to STORE.
so next i crank up engine, toggle to USE turn over genset and it starts up fine. after engine is warm turn it off and run genset with some loads for a while. i see w/ voltmeter that coach batt is not charging (12.66V), but chassis is (over 14V). with the BiRD relay on this rig, both batts always charge whenever there is shore or genny AC on.
shut off genset and plug in shore with USE toggled and again, only chassis batt is charging (over 13V). at rest, both batts are 12.66V coach and 12.74V chassis. with disconnect switch still toggled to USE with dark red lite, when i turn on 3 hallway lights and within 5 secs we hear the disconnect solenoid thump off and no more lights and toggle lite is now stuck at pale red.
repear previous step but turn on half as many hallway lites, and it takes a good three times longer before once more, thump goes the disconnect solenoid.
is this typical of bad solenoid, or might i have a blown fuse from the 18 hours of running heater and battery charging from a 50' extension cord 15 amp shore line? (i have done this many times before w/ no issues.)
two solenoids, some two prong fuses, and maybe the BiRD relay are in a box under the rig by the coach batt.
i can never know if i give TMI to diagnose or what, but i need electrical savvy help here, for sure.